PHEEBS AND I TRIED A WALK THIS AFTERNOON, BUT.....

 SEEN IN GODERICH THIS MORNING

It was another mighty fine deep blue sky sunny Spring morning as I made my way to Goderich's Dynacare lab for some bloodwork stuff.  I'm always amazed at how 'usually' painless this procedure is and I think it all has to do with newer needle technology making needles smaller and thinner.  I remember years ago when it felt like they were using hollowed-out nails.   

 A FEW COWS ON MY WAY TO GODERICH

Following the Dynacare stop I slipped down around the Goderich harbor before a last stop at Walmart to pick up a couple prescriptions for Kelly.

THE ALGOMA MARINER WAS IN PORT TAKING ON A LOAD OF SALT

Being only a mile or two from the big cold lake the air around here is still on the cool side and with any kind of a breeze or wind, it feels cold to me.  Today's windchill factor was 45F.  So, for the most part, I am still wearing long-sleeve shirts with a T-shirt underneath and a jacket on windy days like today.

 FOREST FOLIAGE IS  STEADILY FILLING IN

I still have half a dozen little projects to get at outside concerning our front yard but for some reason, I could not seem to drum up the energy to do them today and my legs feeling achy didn't help.  Pheebs and I tried a walk this afternoon but she just wasn't into it.  Her age is catching up to her:((

 OUR BURNING BUSH PLANT AT LEFT IS HAPPIER NOW IN IT'S NEW SUNNIER LOCATION

Al's Music Box:)) The End is a song with music by Jimmy Krondes and lyrics by Sid Jacobson. In 1958, the song was released in the United States as a 1958 single by Earl Grant. Grant's single on the Decca label, featured the orchestra of Charles 'Bud' Dant.  Some pressings of the single were shown with the title "(At) The End (Of A Rainbow)". 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A frog walks into a bank. He goes to the only open teller and sees that her name is Paddy Whack. "Hey, listen," says the frog. "I really need a loan! I'm out of work, and my wife and tadpoles are at home starving! I need money so I can feed them and provide for them!"  Now Paddy feels very sorry for the poor frog and asks him if he has any collateral. He holds up a small glass elephant. Paddy is a little surprised by this and quite unsure, but she feels so sorry for the poor frog that she takes the elephant to her manager. "Mr. Manager, sir," Paddy begins "there is a frog out there who desperately needs a loan. He's out of work and he has a wife and tadpoles who are at home starving. He needs some money so he can provide for them! But all he has for collateral is this little glass elephant. What should I do?"  Well, Mr. Manager takes a good hard look at that elephant, thinks about it a little, and then replies, "It's a knick-knack, Paddy Whack, give the frog a loan!"

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Q: What does every woman call an intelligent, attractive, caring, loving and sensitive man?
A: A dream.

Boss: You should have been here at 9.30 a.m.
Employee: Why what happened?
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They sell book lights now, a little spotlight you attach to your book. You know, I actually thought about buying one of these, and then I remembered, I own a lamp.

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I AM GOING TO ROUND UP ALL THE SQUIRRELS THIS SUMMER!!

A nice looking sunny morning so Pheebs and I headed out to our country road walking spot but again we cut our walk short.  I could tell Pheebs really wasn't into a walk so it was back to the Jeep and away we went for a slow cruise around half a dozen country roads before heading home.

FARMERS WERE ON THE LAND TODAY AND I THINK THIS FELLA IS DOING SOME PLANTING

 BY THE LOOKS OF THE UNIFORM TIRE TRACKS I'D SAY THIS FIELD HAS ALREADY BEEN PLANTED

 THIS FIELD ON OUR WALKING ROAD IS REALLY BEGINNING TO TURN GREEN

 I'M GUESSING THAT TRUCK IS HAULING LIQUID FERTILIZER

 NOT ALL FARMERS DRIVE BIG TRACTORS

Happy to say my right leg felt a hundred percent better today so intending to keep it that way I took things easy.  Moved our recently planted Burning Bush Tree to a sunnier location and hitched up the utility trailer and hauled a half load of yard waste to our Park's recycle area.  That was about it and I headed inside to do some relaxing reading.  Today felt like a slow-motion Sunday and that was okay because my body was needing a rest.

 AT OUR PARK'S RECYCLE AREA THIS AFTERNOON

 A NICELY KEPT FARM ON TIPPERARY LINE

In frustration this afternoon, I took all the bird feeders down to thwart the out-of-control and ravenous Grackles and Squirrels.  An hour later I put two of them back up when I saw a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, a couple of Gold Finches, and a Woodpecker sitting dejectedly outside the sunroom window wondering where all their seeds had gone.  There is nothing I can do about the swarming Grackles but sometime this summer I am going to round up all the Squirrels here and transport the whole gang to a forest near our country road walking spot way far out in the countryside.  I don't want to do that now because some of those Squirrels have babies nearby.  By the way, I've noticed all the little Dark-Eyed Juncos have left for the cooler climate areas of Northern Ontario and beyond.  They will begin returning in late October.

 A GOLDFINCH AND A MALE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK AT OUR FEEDER

With both our energy levels up, Pheebs and I slipped out for our afternoon walk and neither she or I had any problems. I like when that happens.

 AT THE NORTHEAST END OF THE PARK'S POND THIS AFTERNOON

 I KNOW THE YELLOW FLOWERS ARE DANDELIONS BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PURPLE ONES ARE

 HONEY BEE ON A DANDELION

It will be just me in the Jeep Wednesday morning as I head off to the Dynacare Lab in Goderich to have bloodwork done for my Urologist, Dr. Bukala.  This is for my once-a-year PSA test.  I'll be seeing Dr. Bukala for a follow-up on the 14th of May.  My Nurse Practitioner has also requested blood work for something or other and it might have something to do with a short diabetic clinic I've been asked to attend on May 16th.     

 A SHEEP FARM JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM OUR PARK

Al's Music Box:(( A Taste Of Honey by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track (or recurring theme) written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey which was also made into the film of the same name in 1961. The original and a later recording by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song four Grammy Awards including Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards of 1966.  Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded the most popular instrumental version of the song with a cover on their 1965 album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. This version is noted for the eight drum beats before the tempo increased, intended as an editing cue to be removed in the final version, but Alpert decided to keep it in.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Now that I am older, here's what I have discovered:

1. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.
2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.
3. I finally got my head together, now my body is falling apart.
4. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded...
5. All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.
6. If all is not lost, where is it?
7. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
8. Some days you're the dog and some days you're the hydrant.
9. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few.
10. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.
11. It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
12. Only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.
13. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.
14. When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?
15. It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere.
16. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
17. These days I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter.... I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.

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The Senility Prayer::
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference...

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COULDN'T DO AN AFTERNOON WALK TODAY

GODERICH BOARDWALKERS WERE DRESSED WARMLY THIS MORNING ALONGSIDE THE COLD WATERS OF LAKE HURON

A  big bright sunny day morning saw Pheebs and I headed to Goderich.  Gas, coffee to go, and down to the harbor.  Saw a large ship maneuvering in the inner harbor.  It was basically making a U-turn to get saddled up to the grain dock.  This ship was different from the usual fare of vessels in the Goderich harbor.  It had two tall structures on its main deck and when I went to the ship's website for an explanation it showed an older photo of the Blair McKeil without those odd tall structures.  I had never seen this ship in the harbor before.  

 TURNING AROUND IN GODERICH'S INNER HARBOR AND YEP, THAT'S OUR JEEP LIBERTY WITH PHEEBS INSIDE HOLDING DOWN THE FORT

 THEY DO THIS BY USING THEIR BOW AND STERN THRUSTERS

 I FIGURE THAT TALL THING MUST BE SOME KIND OF LIFTING DEVICE

 I WONDER IF THAT IS THE CAPTAIN KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE TURN

 A CREW MEMBER ACTS AS LOOKOUT AS THE SHIP MANEUVERS TOWARDS THE GODERICH GRAIN TERMINAL

 PAUSING FOR A CHAT ALONG THE BOARDWALK BETWEEN THE HARBOR AND ROTARY COVE

 IT'S OBVIOUS THAT DOGGY HAS NO INTEREST IN THE CONVERSATION

WORKERS PREPARING FLOWER BEDS FOR THE SEASON

 TAKING A BREAK ON A CHILLY MORNING IN THE HARBOR

A drive out to Rotary Cove netted me a few more pictures.  Our next stop was Walmart for a few things and then it was off for home we went snapping a few more pics along the way.

 ROADSIDE TULIPS ON OUR WAY HOME

 LILAC TREES ARE BEGINNING TO BLOOM

 FARMERS ARE BUSY

It was an afternoon of puttering in the front yard doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Moved some rocks around and relocated some stuff.  My right leg (not my hip) was giving me a hard time so I finally had to give up my puttering and head inside to give my leg a rest.  Couldn't do an afternoon walk today:((

 OUR FERNS ARE ALREADY NEARLY FOUR FEET TALL

If anyone in Goderich is missing a black and white pussy cat, Pheebs and saw one with a collar with a couple tinkle bells attached at 9:30 this morning.  It was at the foot of the bluffs in the large gravel parking lot where the old train station was once located in the harbor area.  I took some photos of it but it was wary of Pheebs.

Al's Music Box:)) You Never Can Tell  I like this version of the song by a young Emmy Lou Harris.  "You Never Can Tell", also known as "C'est La Vie" or "Teenage Wedding".   It is a song written by Chuck Berry in the early 1960s.  The song tells about the wedding of two teenagers and their lifestyle afterward. Living in a modest apartment furnished with items bought on sale at Sears, Roebuck, and Co., including a Coolerator brand refrigerator, the young man finds work and they begin to enjoy relative prosperity. Eventually, they purchase a "souped-up jitney" (an automobile modified for high performance) and travel to New Orleans, where their wedding had taken place, to celebrate their anniversary. Each verse ends with the refrain, "C'est La Vie," say the old folks, 'it goes to show you never can tell.'" The piano melody was influenced by Mitchell Torok's 1953 hit "Caribbean".

 OUR FRONT YARD JUNGLE IS QUICKLY TAKING SHAPE FOR ANOTHER SEASON

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A musical director was having a lot of trouble with one drummer. He talked and talked and talked with the drummer, but his performance simply didn't improve.  Finally, before the whole orchestra, he said, "When a musician just can't handle his instrument and doesn't improve when given help, they take away the instrument, and give him two sticks, and make him a drummer."  A stage whisper was heard from the percussion section: "And if he can't handle even that, they take away one of his sticks and make him a conductor."

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- She said she was approaching forty, and I couldn't help wondering from what direction

Q: What is the definition of diplomacy?
A: The ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.

Q: What happens when a Buddhist becomes totally absorbed with the computer he is working with?
A: He enters Nerdvana.

- Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.

- If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then lefties are the only ones in their right mind.

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A tour bus load full of noisy tourists arrives at Runnymede, England.  They gather around the guide who says, "This is the spot where the barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta."  A man pushing his way to the front of the crowd asks, "When did that happen?"  "1215," answers the guide.
The man looks at his watch and says, "Shoot! Just missed it by a half hour!"

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